Friday 1 May 2009

Real pleasure


Another exceptional present from Gordon for looking after Archie. "It's seriously yummy", he said, while gathering together his dogs increasingly odd toys. He wasn't kidding!


It smells smokey and creamy with a whiff of dried herbs and, to me, an unmistakable blast of 'forest fruit' squash. You almost expect it to be sweet.

At first it tastes of red fruits like cherries but that develops into darker fruits, reminiscent of creme de mure. There's also white pepper and a hint of eucalyptus. All beautifully integrated with that fabulous tannin / acidity mix which makes slurping such a pleasure.

It came in an Oddbins bag, but was a present, so I didn't check the price. Frankly anything under £30 would be good value, it represents what wine drinking's all about, a real pleasure. 
Now here's a thing. This is Chateau La Nerthe's second wine, I've had their first wine a few times too, but it was never so enjoyable to drink. Yes, it was more concentrated, more age worthy and undoubtably more "serious". But even if it had been left to mature (not much chance right enough) I'm not convinced it would ever be more enjoyable than this. More cerebral yes, more pleasurable? 
Archie numbers among his toys a large polar bear, an increasingly disheveled Dennis the Menace and various purpose bought items that squeak....for a bit..... but the one that gave him most pleasure this time around......

Can you guess what it is?

7 comments:

  1. is it naan bread? Interesting that this CNDP was ready to drink, it was quite young. Did you decant?

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  2. hello Winesleuth,
    In the strictest sense of 'ready to drink' another year or two in the cellar probably wouldn't hurt..... unfortunately, ahem, I'm between cellars just now. So we drank it with fatty lamb rubbed with rosemary and garlic... it worked a treat. Also, the acidity and tannins work really well together making for a great slurp. Reminded me of the sensation you get from tea at it's most refreshing.
    I didn't decant... I go through phases for and against decanting... at the moment I'm only for it if there's a sediment. Lot's of swirling though!

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  3. PS winesleuth
    It's not a naan bread..... oink oink.

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  4. i guess i'd have to say it's...pork belly! Do I win anything for a correct guess? :-)

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  5. ps2 - it's not an ear, is it? EWWWWW!

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  6. I'm afraid it is!
    Rather freaked me out too, but it seems pigs ears are now a popular toy/snack combo for dogs. Alas, no prize, just the satisfaction of winning!

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